With a few strategic hiring adjustments, you can tackle the top three challenges in recruiting healthcare professionals.

While the healthcare industry fared better than many others did during the recession—with jobs even increasing by 3.3 percent between 2007 and 2009 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—private practices, clinics, and hospitals have still had to learn to do more with less. Unfortunately, a shortage of essential employees—whether due to moratoriums on hiring or a lack of qualified candidates—can seriously impede business growth and profitability.

According to the PwC Global CEO Survey, 34 percent of leaders in the healthcare industry reported they “cancelled or delayed a key strategic initiative” due to talent constraints. Twenty-five percent stated they had been “unable to innovate effectively,” while 41 percent said their talent-related expenses “rose more than expected.” Almost half, or 47 percent, said that hiring staff has become more difficult. Consider the following issues frequently identified as the top three hiring challenges in healthcare.

1. An aging workforce

According to census data and the National Technical Assistance and Research Center, 33 percent of the total U.S. workforce will be 50 years or older by 2016. Why does this matter? It's because the healthcare industry already employs an older workforce than most other industries. For example, by 2020, almost half of all current registered nurses will reach traditional retirement age. At present, nearly half of all doctors are already over the age of 50.

According to the Institute of Medicine, healthcare organizations will find it increasingly difficult to hire enough workers as a large number of older healthcare providers retire. The Institute also predicts the U.S. will need an extra 3.5 million healthcare employees by 2030 just to maintain the current ratio of providers to population numbers. And, those figures don’t take into account the influx of new patients due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

2. A shortage of physicians—particularly within primary care

Experts estimate the ACA will enable 32 million more Americans to obtain health insurance in 2014. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, our nation is already short 20,000 doctors. They predict the shortfall will grow to more than 90,000 by 2020 due to physician retirement, an aging population, and the influx of new patients.

While medical schools continue to produce new physicians, a 2011 study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that less than two percent of them intend to practice general internal medicine. Another study, published in 2012, found that 80 percent of doctors training for a primary care career changed their minds and selected a subspecialty before the end of their three-year residency. This certainly increases hiring difficulties for clinics and hospitals seeking primary care doctors.

3. Losing healthcare job candidates to other organizations

Qualified healthcare professionals usually have more than one organization from which to choose when seeking a job, particularly in metropolitan areas. This means you must outshine your competitors if you want to hire the best of the best. Unfortunately, a candidate who perceives deficiencies in the culture of your healthcare organization or your salary and benefits package is likely to take another offer. Even your hiring process can cause you to lose your top choice along the way. Qualified candidates are in high demand in the healthcare industry, so managers must make hiring decisions quickly or risk losing out.

While an aging staff is inevitable and increased funding for residency programs is necessary to address the physician shortage, healthcare hiring managers and recruiters should tackle hiring challenges directly. A few strategic changes to your hiring process, the development of competitive salary and benefits packages, a focus on creating an attractive culture, and utilization of a niche job board can make the difference in securing the best industry talent.